Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Approves Prosecution Of Dera Chief Ram Rahim In Sacrilege Cases (image-Facebook/Saint Dr. Ram Rahim MSG)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday approved the prosecution of rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2015 sacrilege cases. The move comes three days after the Supreme Court revived the trial against him.
The top court bench comprising Justices BR Gaval and KV Vishwanathan paved the way for the trial in the 2015 case against Ram Rahim, directing the Dera chief to file his response within four weeks.
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The Punjab and Haryana High Court had imposed a stay on the 2015 case trial. The recent order came after the CM Mann-led AAP government filed a petition regarding the same.
The 2015 Sacrilege Cases Against Ram Rahim
Three alleged incidents of sacrilege of holy Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs, occurred between June and October, 2015, in Punjab’s Faridkot. A priest at Gurudwara Singh Sahib at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala Village alleged that the scripture of Shri Guru Granth Sahib had been desecrated. An FIR was registered under the provisions of the IPC at the local police station on June 2, 2015.
Another incident occurred on September 24-25, 2015, when posters with derogatory remarks about Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh religious leaders were found outside the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-managed Gurudwara in Bargari. An FIR was registered at Faridkot’s Bajakhana police station.
In a third incident, a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurudwara in Faridkot. Days later,112 torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib was recovered around the gurudwara situated at Bargari village on October 12, 2015. An FIR was registered at the Bajakhana police station.
The incident triggered widespread protests which turned violent with the police opening fire. Two people were killed in Behbal Kalan while several others were injured in Kotkapura.
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Following the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by ADGP Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, indicted Ram Rahim in July 2022 as one of the key conspirators in the sacrilege cases. The cases were registered under Section 295 of the IPC which require government sanction for prosecution.
Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted on rape of his female disciples and murder charges of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapti and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. The Dera Sacha Sauda Chief remains lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak although he has been granted 15 paroles within four years, mostly coinciding with Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.
